The player does. If, something is SO egregious, that it disrupts the feel of the story you are COLLABORATIVELY creating, then look to the table for consensus. Does anyone feel that choice would inhibit their fun, verisimilitude, etc? Listen, engage, and discuss. Allow for possible answers. You should WANT them to have an awesome answer as to how they suddenly know magic. Don't dictate player choice. Don't stifle creativity.

Edit: And as an aside on the XP conversation, I am strongly in favor of raw numbers. James Jacbobs has made the compelling case many times in the past.Being transparent with XP and what gets them XP will facilitate the gamestyle you want to see at your table.

"You killed the pack of goblins, 200 XP"
"Man, loved the way you introduced your arcane background by describing how it was triggering flashbacks when you saw the runes etched on the dungeon wall! 200 XP for that."

I am curious why the player's guide suggests cold-theme sorcerers and their ilk, when I'll suspect most of the monsters they will face will be immune (or at least resistant) to cold. Especially dragons, ice trolls, frost giants, probably the undead, etc.

I imagine a fire-themed caster would be a much better fit for this AP, no? At least from the standpoint of not being severely ineffective.

Varthanna - According to the book all the locks are simple locks, which means 1 round to open. Makes sense for the footlockers 1 per action, but what does that have to do with the stuff in the quartermaster stores? If you've already made the required stealth, why not just loot the room while your there? Also, according to our dm, there is no rules in the book for npcs who notice you've gained back your gear. So if that is a houserule of yours, we wouldn't adopt it. It makes sense to follow the AP RAW for our group.

You're either following RAW or not. RAW is that you get to open one lock per Ship Action (so 1/night unless you want to be fatigued, then its 2/night).

NPC reactions: That is not a matter of RAW/not RAW. That is a matter of turning NPCs from dynamic thinking individuals into mindless zombies. It also doesn't say that Harrigan wont poop gold bricks and fly away into the sun, so clearly, he would. That said, the AP "RAW" as you insist explicitly says the PCs should not be "foolhardy" in stealing from the stores, and further details potential punishments (taking 20 to search the entire ship, keelhauling for thieves and Grok alike, etc).

Your DM should realize that there are simply not enough pages in an AP to detail every NPC response to every PC action in minutia.

All that said, I gotta ask for some patience here folks. The design team is rather slammed at the moment trying to get caught up on a number of issues and this is one of them. We will get there, just give us some time and above all...

I respectfully disagree with the OP, and will provide rules to support this.

Rules wrote:

Broken

Items that have taken damage in excess of half their total hit points gain the broken condition, meaning they are less effective at their designated task. The broken condition has the following effects, depending upon the item...

Rules wrote:

Illusion

Illusions deceive the senses or minds of others. They cause people to see things that are not there, not see things that are there, hear phantom noises, or remember things that never happened.

If broken were an illusion, it would clearly state it with a tag, at least, and would likely be a glamer.

It was suggested I link this over here, since I am using these rules for my S&S campaign. Here is the link to the homebrew forum where I'm testing them out by building the wormwood and man's promise as baselines. Overall speeds are reduced compared to the paizo ships, but it is an across the board reduction so far. Still playtesting and fiddling with it.

Back when Stormwrack (Wizards 3.5) came out, I ran a pirate campaign and took bits from that book, as well as the OGL Seafarer's handbook and designed a method for creating ships from scratch. As with any customization and flexibility, it can get rather complicated. Since Skull and Shackles came out, I have tried to revise/add/modify it to use in that campaign. As time allows, I am going to try and build a Wormwood and Man's Promise using these rules in this thread.

But was it mentioned anywhere what colors the Wormwood flies?
Does Harrigan have his own private signal?

I wondered the same thing. Any chance it's covered in Isles of the Shackles of Pirates of the Inner Sea?

Nope.

Without official input, I think I will base it on the Wormwood's clock.
I'm sure that the PCs will want to initially keep an eye out for it to stay away from, but near the end of the AP, they will specifically be seeking it out.

I like that. A crimson rotting whale, in profile, on a field of azure.

In reading through what little of the crew, I've been fleshing them out in more depth.

Cog
Why does Cog where a varisian scarf? What happened to his ear? Why is he a devout worshiper of Pharasma?
Cogward was a man in love. He was infatuated with a lovely varisian maid in a port to the north, who he frequented and fawned over every time he made port there. But on one return, he found her with another man. In a grim silent rage he killed the sailor and then his lover. He strangled her with her scarf (the same that he now wears), and as she struggled in her last moment of life, she had bit off his ear in her death throws.

Tam Tate
Why is he called Narwhal?
Maybe he only has one tooth left in his whole mouth, jutting out at an odd angle from his gums. Or maybe he has a hook for a hand that people think looks like a narwhal's horn.

Master Scourge
Why is he carrying a wedding ring? A woman that wanted him to settle down with her, an unfinished promise that he would return once he had enough wealth to give her whatever she wanted as his wife. He pretended he was someone else when he met her, someone better. But when he's with her, she MAKES him better. Soon a mourning women looks out at the harbor in port peril and wonders.

After trying (and failing) to accurately describe the utterly awesome Kaer Maga to my players, I thought a visual aid was required. So, I busted out some old terrain supplies, brushed off my elementary school craft skills, and constructed a model of the city as a player aid. It went over pretty well, so with that encouragement I thought I'd share it for all!

Ahoy, maties! Put yer sea shanties thar, so be they see by all th' scurvy boys tha' come aft'. Sing them rhythms and do yer times, so we be busy til Skull and Shackles!

Dead Man's Chest (modified)
The skipper lay with his nob in gore
Where the Sahuagin's axe his cheek had shore
And the Sahuagin he was stabbed times four
And there they lay, and the soggy skies
Dripped down in up-staring eyes
In murk sunset and foul sunrise
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

Fifteen men of 'em stiff and stark
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Ten of the crew had the murder mark!
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!
Twas a cutlass swipe or an ounce of lead
Or a yawing hole in a battered head
And the scuppers' glut with a rotting red
And there they lay, aye, damn my eyes
Looking up at Abendego's Eye
All souls bound just contrawise
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.

Fifteen men on a dead man's chest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
Drink and Besmara had done for the rest
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum.
We wrapped 'em all in a mains'l tight
With twice ten turns of a hawser's bight
And we heaved 'em over and out of sight,
With a Yo-Heave-Ho! and a fare-you-well
And a sudden plunge in the sullen swell
Ten fathoms deep on the road to Cayden,
Yo ho ho and a bottle rummin'!

Totally agree with the OP. I used to go straight to the blog to see what's up. Now.... not so much. Especially when I have to scroll, and scroll, and scroll to get past the infuriating fiction they put on it. There is a "Web Fiction" tab right next to the "Blog" tab. Why not just use that instead of having it as blog filler?

Dragon #156 answered a similar question, "Can a ring of regeneration restore a female character's maidenhead well enough to fool a unicorn?". Basically the regeneration will restore the physical aspects, but won't help restore the mystical virgin status.

IMHO the Atonement spell feels like a nice fit for the mystical side of the issue for a campaign where it would matter.

The utility of a lantern archon vastly outweighs the other angelic companions. The greater teleport at-will makes planning and strategic uses of resources a thing of the past.

"We're in the middle of a dungeon, trapped, must sneak along so we dont wake up the 50 mummies guarding the place... welp, here's some gp Ol' Lantie, go teleport into the Black Markets of Katapesh and buy us a scroll of silence! Off ya go!"

An even weirder question is WHY IN THE WORLD does my flail-wielding human get a +1 elevation bonus when attempting to trip a halfling while said human is on a table and said halfling is standing on the floor?

I find that when you approach a DM with a concept even if its a bit strange or even a bit munchkiny, not uncommonly the DM can work with said player and come up with a backstory you are both okay with. "that guy" ciretose refers to simply does not ask.

Exactly.

Josh M above gave a perfect example of how you should try to get something unusual you want to play into the game.

"That Guy" doesn't consult and discuss. He whines and pouts when he can't have what he wants and he only showed up with that so you have to let him play it.

Essentially, "That Guy" lacks interpersonal skills or a high emotive intelligence. Others, who are more skilled at the art of BS, are not labeled as "That Guy" and can still play venerable drow liches cause they've got charm, ya'll.

There are no rules in the book that account for this. In a home game a GM is more than allowed to create his own. In PFS, not so much.

Agreed. There is no rule for requiring ride checks for difficult terrain (which is what stairs are). I am baffled to see all these replies from the opposite. This is perfectly normal and well within the rules (not even grey rules, frankly)

You can have one for every skill. Here is what Jason Bulmhan said in an old thread on the subject:

Jason Bulmahn wrote:

Hey there all,

I think that you can come up with a masterwork tool for every skill, if you give it some thought. Here are some examples I came up with on the fly...

Spellcraft - A tome containing a myriad of sample spell effects and guides for identifying them.
Diplomacy - A pleasant perfume or situationally appropriate attire.
Bluff - Bribes or an appropriate distraction. This one is actually pretty tough and highly dependent on the situation.
Use Magic Device - A guide of common magic phrases and activation techniques.

So.. I am not really in favor of limiting this option, but I think that a GM is well within his right to limit abuses of this particular rule.

This is somewhat like the "Pathfinder rules most people dont know". I see lots of games where there are tactics/procedures that just don't happen with the frequency I'd expect. Maybe it's just play style and YMMV, that said:

16 people marked this as FAQ candidate.
3 people marked this as a favorite.

So first, a general question:

What happens when you have a bonus feat but you do not meet the prerequisites for any of your available feats? Does the class ability just sit dormant until you do, and then they suddenly unlock? If, for example, I have a bonus feat at 6th but cannot take any of the available feats, and then at level 8 my stats increase, do I then gain the bonus feat that I couldn't take before?

I am in particular looking at the Gendarme archetype. Overall, I like it. Except for one thing:

Gendarme wrote:

Bonus Feats

A gendarme trains to be a mounted terror, almost to the exclusion of all other abilities. He gains bonus feats at 1st level, 5th level, and then every three levels thereafter, but must select these bonus feats from the following list: Improved Bull Rush, Mounted Combat, Power Attack, Ride-by Attack, Spirited Charge, Spring Attack, and Unseat. If the gendarme has already selected all of the listed feats, then he may select his bonus feats from those feats listed as Combat Feats.

Including Spring Attack in that list really seems to throw a wrench in it, since it effectively means that a Gendarme needs to take Dodge and Mobility with their regular feats and have a Dex 13.

Secondly, you already get Ride-by attack, which does the exact same thing but for mounted combat, and you're supposed to be entirely focused on mounted combat, why the heck is this feat on the list??? This seems like a mistake, honestly.

I myself am planning on running a Paladin of the Godclaw/Hellknight for a module my GM is gonna do, should be a hoot. :)

I'm playing one of these right now and its awwwweeesome. Here's my Godclaw Code of Conduct, which is based around the codes of the various aspects in the Faiths of... books. He also has the Oath against Savagery and is from Lastwall, so some of these may not apply to others.

» I am the Claw of the Gods. I am their talons. I am their tool. I am the hand that can break or bend; build or rend.
» I will learn the weight of my armor. Without my discipline to wear it, it is worthless—my strength is not in my armor, but in my gods. If I lose my armor, I have lost a tool. If I betray my gods, I have died.
» I will have faith in the Order. I will channel its strength through my body. I will shine in its legion, and I will not tarnish its glory through base actions. I am righteous through obedience.
» Corruption in court and church is the greatest corruption of civilization. Without confidence in justice and piety, citizens cannot believe in their countries, and civilization begins to disappear. I will root out corruption wherever I find it, and if a system is fundamentally flawed, I will work to aid citizens by reforming or replacing it.
» When savagery and heresy threaten, I am the first to the wall, and the last to fall.
» I will never refuse a challenge from an equal. I will give honor to worthy enemies of the Order, and contempt for the rest.
» I will never abandon a companion, though I will honor sacrifice freely given.
» I will guard the honor of my Order, both in thought and deed, and I will have faith in them.
» I will not be taken prisoner by my free will. I will not surrender those under my command.
» The wilds are a plague. Under my will they come to spirituality. If they will not come willingly before the law, where they can protest for justice in the courts, they will come under the power of my sword.
» I will suffer death before dishonor. My word is my bond. When I give my word formally, I defend my oath to my death. Traps lie in idle banter or thoughtless talk, and so I watch my tongue.
» I am at all times truthful and forthright, but my allegiance is to my Order. I will do what is necessary to serve them, including misleading others.
» Against my Order's enemies I will show no mercy. I will not allow their surrender, except to extract information. I will defeat them, and I will scatter their hordes. Yet even in the struggle against our enemies, I will act in away that brings honor to my Order

My summoner was a shy, socially-stunted half-elf. He was very strong and could dabble in magic (I played him sort of like a magus... He had an 18 str and 13 charisma)

His eidolon was what he always wanted to be, a subconscious project. Bold, arrogant, cocky, womanizing, inhumanly beautiful (looked alot like an aasimar version of the summoner, but taller, smmetrical, etc).

It was an abusive relationship. The eidolon would pester the summoner to not fall asleep, because he liked being on the planet and not "that hell hole" of his mind. He was frequently physically attack the summoner, but never with the intent to kill. Indeed, he was very protective of the summoner because he knew if the summoner died, he'd disappear forever.

Love love love this, great attempt, designers! That said, I gotta echo that Invisibility is a really bad choice. I get you want a pre-existing condition so you have to change less/not go back and revise everything, but it just doesn't work.

+1 to a new Hidden condition

Edit: How do these new rules handle the original scenario presented in the "Stealth Doesn't Work or How Jack B. Nimble Doesn't Steal A Chicken" thread? I'm curious to see.

Very biased statement to follow:
Anyone that thinks Charisma is tied to good looks is a complete ninny. The ugliest creatures in the bestiary have high charismas (undead and the like). Being hawt is totally subjective. Do not roll for appearance. If you must, simply ask each person to assign an arbitrary number, 6-18, for their Comeliness. Then promptly ignore it thereafter.

Does disguise self change you charisma score? Does alter self? Does a hat of disguise? No? Then why are you asking this?

14 people marked this as FAQ candidate. Answered in the FAQ.
1 person marked this as a favorite.

Arrgh,Paizo ate my post. So instead of being detail like I was before, I am making it simple: Per the rules as I understand them, half-elves and half-orcs may select racial favored class options off the human (and in the case of half-elves) and elf lists. This seems supported by their racial abilities and being able to access all other race-specific options such as feats and prestige classes.

I ask this because a half-elf sorceress in one of my groups wants to take the human favored class option of gaining additional spells known.

For some reason, this lesser deity is very interesting to me. I'm struck by the idea of trying to role play a follower of the goddess of romantic tragedies. However, I can't really imagine how her followers would act. I'm looking for suggestions how to possibly play a devote worshipers of Naderi. I think this is also more difficult because the wide variety of alignments her followers many have (any but the four extremes)